You’ve Got to Ask Yourself One Question: Do I Feel Lucky?
Dirty Harry’s quote was used in a post from 2015, but this time the topic is a little different. Luck is defined as “a combination of circumstances, events, etc., operating by chance to bring good or ill to a person.” With that in mind, do you really want to rely on luck to keep you safe at work or at home? Or will it really help to knock on wood? I must say if these bits of folklore really worked we wouldn’t need safety programs, OSHA, or workers’ compensation insurance. Clearly we need something more definitive than luck or superstition.
Luck does play a role in everyone’s life, but it is a fickle and unpredictable force. Because of this we want to be sure we are taking luck out of the equation as much as possible when it comes to workplace safety. If a hazard is present, and nothing is done to mitigate it, then the only thing keeping people from getting hurt is luck. Let’s take a more active role in our personal and professional safety.
So what is the secret to a safe workplace? That’s the million dollar question. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to completely answer that here. But there are concrete steps that can be taken that have proven successful. A good starting point is to implement the Seven Steps for a Safer Workplace —this MEMIC program was adopted many years ago and still rings true today. Can you say you have done all of these things to keep your employees and coworkers safe?
- Write a Company Safety Policy Statement
- Involve Employees
- Develop a Hazard Prevention Plan
- Provide Safety Training
- Inspect Your Workplace
- Keep Records
- Manage Injuries
For more details on how to implement the seven steps take a look back at our post Seven Steps for a Safer Workplace written by Tony Jones in 2018.
As you can see, creating a safe workplace is possible through adopting a systematic approach. I will never be one to turn down a little luck, however, we all know that luck runs out eventually. I’d like to be safe not by chance, but by focused effort and doing the right things. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
Learn more about injury prevention from our resources in the Resource Library at MEMIC.com or in our new Safety Experts Podcast at www.memic.com/podcast. The Safety Director is also available to MEMIC policyholders and includes our Video Lending Library and Ergonomic Resource page. Be safe out there by providing the right training, the right culture, and by controlling each and every hazard to the greatest extent possible! In this way you won’t have to depend on luck to keep you safe.
